Chapter 160: Chapter 159: Little Cloud Rain Technique Level 9
It was impossible to tell how much time had passed in the secret chamber. Water Attribute Spiritual Energy converged around Qin Feng, and a vibrant, formless wisp of energy was about to take shape in his palm.
BANG!
Suddenly, Qin Feng’s body trembled, and the flow of his energy fell into disarray. In an instant, the gathered Spiritual Mechanism completely dispersed.
The faint black Cloud Rain Seal that was about to form in his palm instantly shattered like a stream of light, vanishing without a trace.
"It’s still not working!" Qin Feng opened his eyes, a faint blue glint flashing through their dark depths.
This was Qin Feng’s several thousandth attempt to condense the ninth Cloud Rain Seal. Yet, just like all the times before, it ended in failure.
Helplessness showed in Qin Feng’s eyes. The Cultivation of the 9th Layer of the Little Cloud Rain Technique was proving to be more difficult than he had ever imagined.
Every time the Cloud Rain Seal was on the verge of successfully condensing, he was always missing that one final spark of insight.
However, Qin Feng hadn’t spent the last month sitting idly. While the Little Cloud Rain Technique had not yet reached the 9th Layer, his Innate Primordial Qi was on the verge of breaking through to the Late Stage of Martial Arts Eighth Layer Heaven thanks to his arduous, secluded Cultivation.
After a moment of contemplation, Qin Feng decided to temporarily suspend his Cultivation of the Little Cloud Rain Technique and shift his focus to the Geng Metal Breaking Killing Technique.
The Little Cloud Rain Technique and the Geng Metal Breaking Killing Technique were the two most fundamental, and also most important, Martial Arts Secret Techniques in the Medicine Garden. They were also the main focus of the upcoming assessment.
Qin Feng’s talent in the Sword Dao was considerable. After all, he had broken into the Martial Arts Innate Realm primarily by comprehending a wisp of Innate Tide Extinction Sword Intent.
「On the fifty-fifth day.」
TSSS TSSS!
In the secret chamber, the black-robed youth sitting on a prayer mat opened his eyes. A pure, faint blue glint of sharpness flashed in their depths before vanishing, seeming capable of tearing through the dark Void.
He held out a hand, and countless fine, hair-thin strands of Innate Invisible Sword Qi swirled in his palm like a school of fish in water.
With a single thought from Qin Feng, the numerous fine strands of Innate Sword Qi instantly converged in his hand, forming a faint blue Innate Invisible Sword the size of a chopstick.
The faint blue Innate Invisible Sword Qi seemed almost tangible, shimmering with an oceanic luster.
"Geng Metal Breaking Killing Sword Qi!"
With a low shout and a sharp glint in his eyes, Qin Feng casually pointed. The faint blue sword light shot through the air like a flying arrow, swift as lightning, and slammed into the stone wall of the secret chamber, piercing it several inches deep.
The secret chamber for secluded cultivation in Bishui Cave was crafted from Obsidian. Even an expert at the Martial Arts Ninth Layer Heaven, striking with their full power, could at most leave a faint white mark on its surface.
For Qin Feng to pierce it several inches deep with a single beam of Sword Qi spoke volumes about the sharpness of his attack.
If Qin Feng’s Innate Tide Extinction Sword Qi was defined by its majestic, domineering power, then the Geng Metal Breaking Killing Sword Qi excelled in its microscopic level of control.
’What a pity! My mastery of the 6th Layer of the Geng Metal Breaking Killing Sword Qi is still insufficient.’ Qin Feng thought, shaking his head as he looked at the smooth, chopstick-sized hole his attack had created in the stone wall.
An attack from the Geng Metal Breaking Killing Sword Qi at the Great Success level would never leave such a large hole. Instead, it would be as fine as a single strand of hair.
Moreover, the color of the Sword Qi was wrong.
’It should be formless and colorless!’
Although the Innate Invisible Sword Qi he had condensed was as fine as a silk thread, it was still far from perfection.
He felt a tinge of regret, but his spirits quickly lifted.
In just fifty-five days, Qin Feng had managed to cultivate the Little Cloud Rain Technique to the 8th Layer and the Geng Metal Breaking Killing Technique to the 6th Layer.
’Even if I’m not at the very top, I must be among the strongest of the batch!’
In truth, Qin Feng was being far too modest.
If word of Qin Feng’s Cultivation speed got out, it would be enough to shock a great many people to their core.
Of the several hundred new disciples who had chosen to enter the Medicine Garden in this intake, the strongest among them had only managed to cultivate the Little Cloud Rain Technique to the 6th Layer and the Geng Metal Breaking Killing Technique to the 5th Layer.
And that person had a very special background; there were all sorts of undisclosed reasons for their rapid progress.
Even so, that person’s rate of progress had already attracted the attention of many powerful figures within the Medicine Garden.
Qin Feng calmed himself, his mind settling, and turned his attention to the 7th Layer of the Geng Metal Breaking Killing Sword Technique.
’This Geng Metal Breaking Killing Sword Qi is surprisingly easy to cultivate. Although its principles differ from the Daluo God Sealing Thirteen Swords, I can still draw parallels and learn from it. I should be able to reach the 9th Layer within three months. If I had a year, reaching the 12th Layer would be no issue at all!’
Qin Feng’s expression remained calm as he considered this.
Back when Qin Feng had created the Daluo God Sealing Thirteen Swords, even though he had never actually practiced it, his accumulation of knowledge in the Sword Dao was already on par with some of the great Giants who specialized in it.
Now, cultivating the Geng Metal Breaking Killing Sword Technique, he was like a fish in water.
His gaze as placid as still water, Qin Feng closed his eyes, preparing to once again use his Innate Sword Qi to practice condensing the Geng Metal Breaking Killing Sword Qi.
DING DING DING!
Suddenly, the bell on the stone wall began to ring.
The incessant ringing caused Qin Feng to frown. ’What’s going on outside?’ he wondered. ’Why would someone be ringing the Cave Mansion’s Golden Bell?’
Before entering his secluded cultivation, Qin Feng had instructed the three Stewards not to disturb him unless it was a matter of great importance.
’How troublesome!’ A flicker of anger rising within him, Qin Feng walked out of his place of seclusion.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
The Cave Mansion, sealed for two months, rumbled open.
In front of Bishui Cave, the three Stewards were pacing back and forth in a panic.
"Younger Brother Luan, when do you think the Cave Master will come out of seclusion?!"
"What are we going to do?"
Glancing at Zhao Yuan, Luan Xiaochuan frowned and said in a low voice, "That’s enough, Zhao Yuan. Stop pacing in front of me. Panicking won’t help. The Cave Master will have a solution!"
With a short huff, Xu Jie turned to the miserable-looking Zhao Yuan, his expression grim. "Old Zhao, what on earth happened? How could the Cloud Pattern Ganoderma Grass in the Spirit Garden just wither overnight?!"
"Before he went into seclusion, the Cave Master made it perfectly clear! The seven types of Spirit Medicine in that Spirit Garden are tied to the futures of the three of us. If anything happens to them, not only will the Cave Master be implicated, but we’ll face severe consequences as well!"
"Did someone sabotage the Medicine Garden?" Luan Xiaochuan asked, his face dark and his gaze as sharp as a blade.
But Xu Jie shook his head. "Impossible. The Outer Disciples guarding the Spirit Garden are our own men. They would never cause trouble."
"Then could it have been that malicious bunch led by Zheng Bing?" At the mention of Zheng Bing, Luan Xiaochuan gritted his teeth in hatred.
Of the four High-tier Medicine Boys, only Zheng Bing was not aligned with them.
Xu Jie refuted the idea. "No. The three of us have been suppressing Zheng Bing’s group for the past two months. They can barely fend for themselves; they had no opportunity to do anything."
Xu Jie looked at Zhao Yuan, who was staring at the ground, and asked, "Old Zhao, you’ve cultivated the Little Cloud Rain Technique to the 5th Layer, which means you’re just one step away from being able to condense Spiritual Dew. Is there really nothing you can do to reverse the withering of that Cloud Pattern Ganoderma Grass?"
With a faint, bitter smile, Zhao Yuan replied dejectedly, "I can’t. Unless I can break through to the 6th Layer of the Little Cloud Rain Technique, condense Spiritual Dew, and revitalize the Spirit Medicine, only then might I be able to reawaken its Vitality!"
"But you know how it is. The first three layers of the Little Cloud Rain Technique are easy, but the remaining nine get progressively harder. I’ve been cultivating for five years and only just broke through to the 5th Layer. The 6th Layer feels impossibly far away!"
Luan Xiaochuan and Xu Jie exchanged a look of mutual understanding.
"The Little Cloud Rain Technique starts easy and gets harder, with the threshold between the 5th and 6th Layers being a major one. It looks like our only option is to have the Cave Master make a trip to Ganlu Hall. He could either ask a disciple from there to save the Spirit Medicine, or purchase a vial of Sweet Dew Spirit Water. But no matter which option we choose, I’m afraid the price will be steep."
